Semester Survey

Please take a few minutes to help me improve my teaching and course.  Please take out a sheet of paper to respond to the questions below.  You needn't put your name on the survey.  Please place it in the silver tray when complete. 

• 1. What did you enjoy the most this semester (reading assignment, essay, project, class setup, etc.)? What did you enjoy the least this semester?  Here is a reminder of things we studied:

• Reading
• Mythology
• Stories (Esther, Sherlock Holmes, "By the Waters of Babylon," Chesterton,...)
• Poems (many awesome forms)
• Antigone (some reading, then video)
• A Midsummer Night's Dream
• Cry, the Beloved Country
• Proverbs and other Bible passages to open class

• Grammar
• Puncutation on the board
• Bedford book

• Vocabulary: 
• Prefix, suffix, roots
• Notes (such as journals)

• Writing
• SAT preparation
• Final Exams
• Conclusion of major works 
• Journals
• Binder notes
• Contest entries
• Creative writing
• Christmas legend
• Chalk poetry and forms
•  

• 2. My teaching style

• What is best about my teaching?
• What should I work on?
• What is good about the class environment?
• What would make it better still?

• 3. My teaching format
• How did the blog and binder combination work for you?  Would you like me to change it at all if you took my class as a senior?  How?
• How was the homework load?  Reasonable?  Too much?  Too little?  If too much, please explain. 

• 4. Anything else?
• Schoolwide suggestions?
• Things you'd like to see change on campus or notes for Mr. Sharp and his team?  
• Chapel suggestions?

Thank you!

Samantha Watts Reads at the Poetry Santa Cruz Event!

Her poem, "Broken Umbrella," was selected for this year's annual high school poetry anthology. The event was packed and was sponsored by Poetry Santa Cruz. Awards were presented by Michael Watkins, the superintendent of Santa Cruz country education. David Swanger, our local poet laureate, was also on hand to read. Thanks to Len Anderson and all those who labor to support this annual celebration of young, local writers.
Bravo!

Tuesday through Friday: Final Exams

* Prepare and enjoy.

* See below for studying and the schedule.

G. K. Chesterton: "A Piece of Chalk"

• Grammar: And I stood their in a transe of plesure realising that this Southern England is not only a grand penninsula and a tradition and a civilisation it is something even more admirable.
• Today, you will see the answer in your reading today.

* We will read an essay together.  Here are some introductory remarks to assist you.

• G. K. Chesterton (1874--1936) is staying at a house (perhaps a friend's?) in the country and decides to go out on the downs (rolling grass hills) to draw.  
• He has a few chalks but needs to get some paper.  He likes to use brown paper for chalk drawings. 
• He informs the reader that he is not going out to draw "Nature," which was the common thing to do in that day.  
• Chesterton breaks off onto an idea that though ancient poets might not have described nature as some do closer to his day, it is not because they were less blessed by it.  In fact, they probably drank it in more deeply in times past.
• He realizes he has no white chalk.  
• The color white causes Chesterton to meditate on things many people assume to be blank, void, neutral, unimportant, or dull.  Some people see the color white, sexual purity, and virtue in general as falling into this dull zone.  Chesterton knows otherwise. 

• Chesterton recalls his location, and all is well.  

• Assignment: as I read, note any words or phrases that pertain to atmosphere or tone.  You may write them in your notes or mark them with a .pdf editor on your iPad.
• HTML: "A Piece of Chalk" (1909)
• A .pdf for, say, Notability: "A Piece of Chalk" by G. K. Chesterton  (in Focus)
• Atmosphere
• What feelings communicate to you?  Is this a scary environment?  A safe environment?  A jovial environment?  Is this a dull world of walking and chalk?  A wonderful world of walking and chalk? A deadly world or walking and chalk?

• Tone
• What is Chesterton's attitude toward brown paper?  Nature?  The color white?  White chalk?  England, generally?
• How does Chesterton seem to view the reader?  Does he seem to be an intellectually superior Brit?  Does he seem timid?  Does he seem frank?  Do you picture him smiling or scowling or laughing or sneering or blankly staring? 

• Discussion:  
• Compare notes
• Let's discuss

* CWP

HW: Your typed, printed, MLA formatted CWP Story

The White Cliffs of Dover (also chalk)

Chalk walk: Glory be to God for chalky things!

Pieces of Chalk: The Uffington Horse on White Horse Hill. 3,000 years old and still galloping. G.K. Chesterton's greatest poem is The Ballad of the White Horse.

Friday, 5/17/13: Poster Work!

* Today, you will have a substitute teacher.  Please stay on task and finish or nearly finish that poster! 

* Below is a summary of key items for your poster; please review:

• Include the following:
• Characters with description (at least three)
• Themes and motifs (at least three total)
• Aspects of your chosen location (at least three)
• Difficult words or terms associated with that region or those characters (at least three; include the definition)
• Important quotations related to that region (at least three; include the chapter # or the page #)

• Grade: 20 points
• 5 Points for Including All Requirements
• 5 Points for Design and Beauty
• 5 Points for Grammar (Sentence Structure, Spelling, and Punctuation)
• 5 Points for Applicability and Accuracy 

• Please List all Names for your Group and Period on Your Poster Front Somewhere

Italy and Riviera Tour Meeting: Next Thursday, B22, During Lunch

Hi Travelers!

I hope all is well with you as your prepare for final exams.

Let's meet next week on Thursday (not today, but a week from today) during lunch in B22.  Just grab your lunch and come up.  I will start about 10 minutes into lunch for you to have time to get your food and come up.  If the line is long, that's ok; just head up as soon as you can.

We will review passport and visa requirements for our trip, review some fundraising ideas, and check in one last time in person before we see one another again at summer's end (though I will send email updates when needed).  275 days to departure seems like a long time, but this is the perfect time to sign up, get your passport process going, ask friends and family for support, and perhaps pick up a summer job to cover what you need to. 

Thank you to all who have enrolled!  For those who haven't, do so as soon as you can.  Signing up this month puts you into the scholarship opportunity pool (Scholarship Review).  Also, once you sign up, you will have your own fundraising page that family and friends can visit to learn about and support your trip quickly and easily online.  That will be very helpful to many, I'm sure. 

All the best!

Mr. Schwager

Thursday, 5/16/13: Poster

* Open

* End of Book Questions

* Poster Work (strive to finish by the end of tomorrow so that you can take notes on Monday)

HW: Study

Wednesday, 5/15/13: Begin Poster

* Open

* Similes

* Binder Check

* Begin Your Poster

• Choose Partners
• You May Not Work With Any of the Same Students As You Did in Your Last Poster Project
• More than Two, Fewer Than 5 
• Find a place around the round table to work (not in the middle where all the poster go)
• Replace your poster to the middle when done for the period

• Choose Paper
• Use the scissors to fix any funkiness 
• Put a messed up piece of paper under yours if you are using permanent markers

• Choose a geographical location
• Ndotsheni
• Johannesburg
• Sophiatown (section of Johannesburg where we find the Mission House)
• Claremont (section of Johannesburg where Gertrude lived before her brother rescued her; see chapters 5,6, etc.; Arthur started the Claremont Boys' Club there, see ch. 21)
• Parkwold (section of Johannesburg where Arthur Jarvis lived) 
• Ezenzelini (ch. 13; where Msimangu preaches to and helps the blind)
• Pimville (section of Johannesburg where Absolom's girlfriend had lived before Stephen Kumalo rescued her) 
• the Court (ch. 22 and following)
• the Springs (where the Smiths live; ch. 25)
• Emoyeni ("in the winds": the mountain where Kumalo prays in ch. 36)

• Include the following:
• Characters with description (at least three)
• Themes and motifs (at least three total)
• Aspects of your chosen location (at least three)
• Difficult words or terms associated with that region or those characters (at least three; include the definition)
• Important quotations related to that region (at least three; include the chapter # or the page #)

• Grade: 20 points
• 5 Points for Including All Requirements
• 5 Points for Design and Beauty
• 5 Points for Grammar (Sentence Structure, Spelling, and Punctuation)
• 5 Points for Applicability and Accuracy 

• Please List all Names for your Group and Period on Your Poster Front Somewhere 

HW: Poster Info. 

Tuesday, 5/14/13: Retake Today

* Open

* Quiz Retake

• If time permits when all have finished: 
• Note on similes--blossoming and weaving.
• Review chapters

* Prepare your binder

For those who wish to begin considering poster work:

• Choose a geographical location
• Ndotsheni
• Johannesburg
• Sophiatown (section of Johannesburg where we find the Mission House)
• Claremont (section of Johannesburg where Gertrude lived before her brother rescued her, see chapters 5,6, etc.; Arthur started the Claremont Boys' Club there, see ch. 21)
• Parkwold (section of Johannesburg where Arthur Jarvis lived) 
• Ezenzelini (ch. 13; where Msimangu preaches to and helps the blind)
• Pimville (section of Johannesburg where Absolom's girlfriend had lived before Stephen Kumalo rescued her) 
• the Court (ch. 22 and following)
• the Springs (where the Smiths live; ch. 25)
• Emoyeni ("in the winds": the mountain where Kumalo prays in ch. 36)

• Include the following:
• Characters (at least three)
• Themes and motifs (at least three)
• Aspects of your chosen location (any)
• Difficult words or terms associated with that region or those characters (at least three)
• Important quotations related to that region (at least three)
• Hint: Use your Journals 

• Grade: 20 points
• 5 Points for Including All Requirements
• 5 Points for Design and Beauty
• 5 Points for Grammar (Sentence Structure, Spelling, and Punctuation)
• 5 Points for Applicability and Accuracy 

• Please List all Names for your Group and Period on Your Poster Front Somewhere

HW: Binder 

Monday, 5/13/13: Preview and Work

* Reno: Continue Cry, the Beloved Country.   

* Schwager continues below

* Open

• Makeup quiz tomorrow
• Poster Work Begins Wednesday and Finishes Friday
• Gather Notes on Monday

* Party E.C. Entered (generally as 1 point under Journal 21)

* Memorization

• Paper worked
• iMemorize worked
• Time spent is a bigger factor than medium used 
• Issy, Justine, and Topanga need to share their secret

* On Dasher, on Prancer, on Donner, you vixens!

•  Correction to Notes—
• Let's edit or erase the distinction between the en dash and em dash because
• MLA and OWL make no distinction
• I've found conflicting sources on en and em dash distinctions
• The auto-fill makes no distinction between regular text and dates
• Therefore, I will only distinguish between - (hyphen) and — (dash)

* If you have a D+ or below on an essay this quarter (outside reading or ICE):

• You may make corrections and turn in by Monday, May 20th.  You may earn up to a C- grade on your work.  I will not list this on Focus or otherwise provide reminders.  Tuesday will not count.  
• 23 lines per page = Normal MLA

* Final Exam:  Cry, the Beloved Country and A Midsummer Night's Dream

• Multiple Choice
• Lost Tools of Writing through Similes (paper pg. 85)
• Reading (includes both texts)
• Grammar (MLA, punctuation)
• Closed Note

• Essay
• Crying Recipe With Hints of Midsummer Madness
• Open Notes
• Yours
• Handwritten

HW: Due Wednesday for the Binder Check

• All Cry, the Beloved Country Journals
• Your Resume in your Essay Section
• Lost Tools Work (in Grammar or Writing; either one is fine)